


Loves and Losses

by Silver_Streams



Category: The Host - Stephenie Meyer
Genre: Drama, Eventual Romance, F/M, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Romance, Suspense
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-12-11
Updated: 2021-02-25
Packaged: 2021-03-10 20:42:33
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 6,550
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28003320
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Silver_Streams/pseuds/Silver_Streams
Summary: It's been a couple of years since Wanderer came to earth. She encountered trials that challenged her entire world view, made new friends, gained a sister, and fell in love. Things have been peaceful, or as peaceful as they can be when you're living life in a secret cave system, hiding from your own species. Life is constantly in motion though and being human can be more complicated than Wanderer imagined.Wanderer's peaceful life is turned upside down and her relationships tested when tragedy strikes. Ian has been captured and a soul is soon controlling his body and actions. Wanderer and Ian must face their toughest challenge yet and hope that they have the strength to overcome the obstacles and hostility they seem to find at every turn.Additional author's notes in the story. This is a rewrite from an old Fanfiction.net story by a similar title.
Relationships: Ian O'Shea/Wanderer, Jared Howe/Melanie Stryder
Comments: 2
Kudos: 9





	1. Returned

**Author's Note:**

> Hello everyone! I hope you're all staying safe in these crazy times!
> 
> This story is a new rewrite of a story by a similar title that I originally posted on Fanfiction.net in 2009. The original was in first person point of view and had very short chapters. My opinions and writing styles have changed significantly since 2009 and the story will now be in third person point of view. As of December 14, 2020, the old version has been deleted off of Fanfiction.net as I am not pleased with how that one turned out.
> 
> Additionally, for anyone who may have read the old version and is finding this one now, there will be very significant changes in plot points and characters, especially concerning my original character. The original character's name may even be changed. The original character's romantic subplot has also gone through some serious alterations.
> 
> For those who are new to the story, I hope you like the reimagined work! The characters and plotlines have been given significantly more depth that I hope you will find enjoyable! This story is still in the process of being rewritten. I have 14 chapters of the original story which I'm currently working on redoing. Once I run out of pre-written chapters to revamp, I'm hoping to update about once a week.
> 
> I am still relatively new to posting on the archive, so please forgive me if the tags are lacking. More tags will likely be added as the story develops. Please feel free to suggest any tags you think are missing!
> 
> Thanks for reading the note and I hope you enjoy the first chapter of Loves and Losses!
> 
> ~ Silver Streams ~
> 
> Disclaimer: I do not own The Host or any of its characters, Stephanie Meyer does. I'm just playing with them!

“They should’ve been back by now!”

Melanie paced, striding from one end of the small room to the other. She moved harshly, her steps coming down heavily on the cave floor. Purple dust coated her worn shoes, kicked up by her quick motions. Her brown hair twisted out with each rough turn she made in her circuit. Melanie’s features, normally relaxed or convivial, were now marred with frustration and fear. Her lips turned down into a grimace and her brows pinched. She cast a quick glance over to the only other occupant of the room and exhaled harshly at the lack of change in the other’s countenance.

“How can you just sit there? Aren’t you worried?” Melanie almost snarled the questions, turning a dark gaze on her subject.

Wanderer’s lips thinned, a slight sigh escaping her as she met Melanie’s glare. Melanie held her gaze for a brief moment before huffing and resuming her pacing. Wanderer continued to watch the human’s agitated steps, giving a small shake of her head. Melanie’s incessant movements were becoming borderline irritating. Despite continuous reassurances, Melanie refused to settle. Wanderer understood Melanie’s apprehension; she shared in it, though with less vehemence. Still, considering the circumstances, she could not deny some concern was warranted.

Jared, Ian, Jamie, and Brandt had left a week ago on a small supply run. One of the cave tunnels had unexpectedly caved in, resulting in the injury of six of the hideout’s residents. No one had been killed and thankfully rescuing them had been relatively simple, but several injuries had been sustained, severely depleting their stock of No Pain, Clean, Seal, and Heal. The raiding party had been sent out to replenish the dwindling medical supplies. The trip should have taken a few days, a week at most.

It had been two weeks without any sign of them.

Everyone in the complex was on edge, but none more so than Melanie. Unfortunately, Melanie was the one individual who needed to remain calm. Wanderer was normally a staple to the raiding parties, regardless of the size. As Jared had suspected, her new body did indeed make raiding easier than ever before. Wanderer never received any suspicion with her soft features, youthful face, and blonde tresses. However, she had remained in the caves this time, at Jared’s request.

Melanie was expecting. The baby had been unplanned; Jared and Melanie had agreed they did not want to bring a child into a world where they and the rest of their race lived as fugitives on their own home planet. The news that Melanie was pregnant had been greeted with mixed reactions. Many of the caves’ inhabitants rejoiced, while others feared the complications of a pregnancy and newborn child. Jared’s reaction had been mixed in itself; he was initially resistant to the idea. While Melanie had been hesitant at first, she had quickly come to the decision she wanted to have the child. After her desire had been known and firmly expressed, Jared had ceased his arguments, though it had taken months for the resistance to leave his eyes. The day Melanie had pulled Jared aside and pressed his hand to her swelled stomach, the light flutter of new life pushing against his palm, Jared’s entire demeanor and attitude changed. The anxiety about the baby that had been ever present on his face transformed to anxiety for the baby. Melanie was seven months along now and with the progression of her pregnancy, Jared’s pragmatism and rationale had been steadily decreasing. While seven months was not typically a number to worry over, Doc had expressed his concern that the stressful nature of living in the caves would bring about an early labor and birth. With the potential of the baby coming early, Jared had begged Wanderer to stay behind with Melanie. Melanie and Wanderer had both argued that it was illogical for Wanda to stay behind, but Jared had been resolute that he and the others could go alone just once – after all, they had pulled off dozens of successful raids before Wanderer’s arrival. When Wanda had argued that she wasn’t even a Healer and would be of little help should the need arise, Jared had responded that as a soul she knew best how to get Melanie help from the other souls if complications occurred that Doc’s skills and available equipment could not handle. When it was argued that Candy would likely be able to bridge any gaps in knowledge from Doc, Jared’s rebuttal was that Candy ultimately was not a soul. Finally, Melanie and Wanda had relented to the impending new father’s heightened protective instincts and Wanda had agreed to remain behind, although she and Melanie had concurred privately that Jared may have lost all common sense.

Another exasperated noise drew Wanderer’s attention back to Melanie’s agitated form. Wanda frowned; in her condition, Melanie really should be trying to keep her stress levels low. She stood and stepped into Melanie’s path, holding a hand out to halt her sister’s pacing.

“Melanie, calm down. I’m sure they’re fine. They’ve been late before.”

Melanie shook her head in frustration.

“Not this late. They’ve been gone two weeks!” she exclaimed.

“They’ve been gone an extra week before.” Wanda stated with a frown. Again Melanie shook her head.

“Sure, but those have been on longer raids. Ones that are supposed to take a few weeks at minimum. They’ve never been gone twice the length of the estimated time. And they were going to one of the facilities! Those are more dangerous. You know they are! Ugh, aren’t you worried?!” Melanie finished her brief tirade with another frustrated pivot, stalking back to the far wall. Her respiration was picking up, her face tightening further in stress.

“Of course I’m worried, but Mel, you have to calm down! You know it isn’t good for you or the baby to be stressed like this. Doc already worries that the natural stress of living in the caves may have an adverse effect.” Wanda attempted to reason. Melanie turned on her friend.

“Wanda, I can’t calm down! You don’t know if something has happened to them! What if Jared or Jamie or Ian don’t come home? Especially Jared! I can’t lose him, especially not now!” Melanie replied, on the verge of hysteria.

Wanda opened her mouth to attempt to assuage Melanie’s fears when a commotion reached their ears. Melanie whirled to face the doorway, listening intently as the sound of voices steadily increased in volume. Hardly sparing a glance at Wanda, Melanie took off like a shot, Wanda scrambling to keep up with her friend. Despite being seven months pregnant, Melanie could move with an impressive speed. Wanda struggled to keep up with Melanie’s long legs, her shorter stature not affording her the same long strides. They soon quickly came to the cave entrance, where the rest of the human population was gathering.

“They’re back!” Melanie exclaimed joyfully, dashing into the crowd as best she could. Wanda smiled as she followed, eager to see Ian. As they came closer to the front of the crowd, Melanie slowed, a small frown gracing her features as the snippets of conversation became clearer.

“Jared, what are we going to do? We can’t risk him leading a Seeker here.” Doc was saying.

“I know, I know Doc! I don’t know what to do. I don’t know what—” Jared’s voice, sounding stressed, echoed next. He was quickly cut off.

“We’re sitting ducks! We have to evacuate; we can’t take the risk!” Maggie’s tone was dark, aggressive, and determined.

“Now hold on. Let’s just all settle down. We can’t do anything yet anyway; we need the full story first. Somebody go and get Melanie and Wanda.” Jeb’s voice sounded next.

“No!” Jared cut in; his voice held a tinge of fear. “Not Wanda, I don’t know what we’re supposed to tell her! We need to—”

“Jared, it’s too late. They’re already here.” Jamie’s voice, subdued, saddened. Wanda frowned at the tone, a sense of dread creeping through her.

Melanie managed to break through the crowd and made a bee line for Jared. Jared’s face reflected his tone, taunt lines of stress pulling his features tight. Upon seeing Melanie, he relaxed marginally, quickly opening his arms for her. Melanie dashed to him, plastering herself against him and burying her face in his shoulder. Wanda hung back, gazing at the party that had returned. Jared. Jamie. Brandt. Jared. Jamie. Brandt. Wanda felt her breath leave her, counting quickly again. Jared. Jamie. Brandt. Striking blue eyes, a tall profile, Wanda’s whole world, was missing from the returned raiders. Wanda froze, struggling to intake a breath, her mind racing. She counted the figures again. A distressed noise escaped her, drawing the attention to her form which had begun trembling. Wanda swallowed, swallowed again. Finally, her voice shaking, she uttered the question no one in the raiding party wanted to answer.

“Wh-where is Ian?”


	2. Captured

“Wh-where is Ian?”

The cacophony of human voices slowed and then tapered off to murmured whispers. Some of the others began to back away from the returning party, casting furtive looks at Wanda. Doc tensed, concern overcoming his features as he looked to Jeb, who was frowning. Brandt cleared his throat awkwardly and stepped away from Jared and Jamie, moving to greet some of the other cave residents. Jared froze, tension fully returned and clear in every muscle. Jamie’s eyes dropped to the floor. Melanie glanced between Wanda and Jared, a distressed look on her face.

Wanderer frowned at the silence. They had certainly heard her, why was no one answering her query? Clearing her throat, she asked again in a stronger voice.

“Where is Ian?”

Another round of silence. A growing sense of unease began to churn in Wanda’s stomach. She stepped forward, closer to Jared and the others.

“Where is Ian? Jared, why aren’t you answering me? Where is he? Is he hiding the truck? Bringing in the medicine? …Jared?”

Jared looked away, unable to meet Wanda’s eyes.

“Jamie? Where is Ian? Why won’t Jared answer me?”

Jamie swallowed hard, tears filling his eyes as he too turned away from Wanda.

Wanda felt her anxiety heighten, turning her stomach to tight knots. Why wouldn’t they answer her? She felt tears starting to prick her eyes and she began to shake her head slowly back and forth. Even as Wanda denied an explanation not yet verbalized, she suspected the reason that they were refusing to answer her. She knew that Ian was not hiding the truck or bringing in supplies. He was not simply waylaid and would be arriving soon. Things were too tense in the room; the usual relief and joy that surrounded the return of residents to the cave was absent, replaced by a dark and bitter flavor. Still, the part of Wanda that refused to acknowledge what was becoming clearer with each passing moment, voiced her question yet again.

“Jared. Jamie. Where is he?”

“Answer her Jared! Where is Ian?” Melanie’s voice was unsteady, laced with stress, but held a note of steel to it. She glared at Jared. “Answer her!”

Jared took a breath, let it out harshly, and took another breath. Finally, he raised his gaze to meet Wanda’s tear-filled eyes.

“I’m so sorry Wanda…”

Wanda was silent for a moment, before a slightly hysterical laugh issued from her throat.

“Why are you apologizing Jared? Ian’s just taking care of the car, right? I-isn’t he?”

Jared slowly shook his head.

“Wanda…Ian isn’t hiding the car. Or bringing anything in. He’s…I’m sorry Wanda. He—” Jared cut himself off for a moment, then, steeling his resolve, he continued on. “He was captured. By the Seekers. They came out of nowhere! I’m so sorry, we tried to stop them, tried to get Ian out of there, but they were ready for us and they were armed. We couldn’t do anything. They had him surrounded and we couldn’t do anything…” Jared’s voice was a whisper by the time he finished. Melanie let out a sob and Jared tugged her closer.

Wanderer was still shaking her head, slowly at first and then with increasing swiftness. She glanced up; saw the pitying expressions on faces so familiar. Doc, Jeb, Jared, Jamie…even Melanie’s face was caught in grief. Wanda shook her head again, firmer this time, even as tears began to course down her cheeks in earnest. Melanie extricated herself from Jared’s hold and moved to Wanda’s side, pulling her into an embrace. Distantly, Wanda felt Jamie’s lean frame take her other side. A desperate cry sounded, echoing in the caves, followed by a low keening noise. It took Wanda a moment to realize it was from her. She forced herself to swallow the sound.

“H-how did it happen?” Wanda struggled to get the words out clearly.

The many occupants of the room, who had quieted considerably in the last several minutes, collectively turned their attention from the distraught soul to Jared’s haggard face. When Jared spoke, his voice was exhausted and dispirited.

“We had already finished getting the primary medications from the Healing Facility. Ian and Brandt suggested we stop by one of the local stores and get a few non vital items from the pharmacy there that we’ve been low on here, like Health and Awake. Everything was going alright at first. Brandt stayed with the truck while Jamie, Ian and I went in. Ian’s always been the best at imitating you souls, so he was doing most of the talking while Jamie and I gathered the supplies. We were checking out; the clerk was scanning the items. I-I don’t know what happened, maybe it’s because it was our last stop of the night and we were tired, but we didn’t notice until it was too late.

“The clerk had a flashlight. We generally keep our gazes down so the building lights don’t accidently hit our eyes. The clerk—she must have been paranoid. We should have expected that, more and more souls have been taken by humans. The souls aren’t as trusting as they once were…The clerk grabbed her flashlight and just suddenly shot it right into Ian’s face. There was no chance for Ian to react, and if he had reacted it would have given him away immediately. The clerk backed away, started shouting about wild humans, and the other souls in the store started panicking. Some of the braver ones came towards us and…well I guess we panicked too.

“Ian shouted at us to run. The clerk jumped forward and hit something behind the counter, it must have been an alarm system. This alarm started blaring and the doors started closing. Ian shouted at us again to go, get out of there. Jamie and I were already at the doors and we forced them open before they could lock. There must have been a back entrance because four Seekers started coming down the aisles towards us. They had their weapons drawn. Two of them went after Ian. With the help of those couple souls that had started for us, they surrounded him. The other two started coming after Jamie and me. I guess even with souls going missing, your kind doesn’t like violence if it can be avoided. They followed us outside, but they weren’t firing their weapons. They kept talking to us, trying to get us to stop, asking us to just surrender peacefully. When one of them got too close, I got a hit in and knocked him out. The other started to raise his weapon but then Brandt drove up in the truck and started flashing the high beams. The headlights disoriented the Seeker and Jamie was able to knock him unconscious too.

“I got Jamie into the truck and went to go back for Ian, but it was too late. The two Seekers had him pinned and we could hear sirens in the distance. More of them were on the way and if we had stayed any longer, they would’ve trapped us in that parking lot. We left. We had to take several alternate routes just to evade them, then traveled two cities over and laid low there for a couple of days before we felt safe enough to start back here. They’d seen the car, so we had to ditch it for something else. They were patrolling the area much more heavily; it was difficult getting back safely. I’m sorry Wanda, there was just nothing we could do!” Jared’s last statement was said with anger and frustration and he abruptly turned away, stalking out of the caves. Wanda stood there, tears falling silently, arms hanging limply at her sides.

“Ian…the pill you all carry. Did he…? Is he…?” Melanie’s voice was uncharacteristically small, and Wanda felt her heart seize again. It was Jamie who answered the unspoken question.

“No! No, I think he’s alive. They didn’t shoot him. They were spraying something in his face. He was trying to yank his head away, but they wouldn’t let up! I saw him go limp after a couple of seconds. I don’t think he even had the chance to get to his pocket for the pill. I think he’s alive.”

Wanda’s exhale of relief was barely audible over the brusque voice that abruptly cut in.

“Which is why we need to move! They’ve probably already got a damn Seeker in him. We’ve got to move now! It’s been days, that boy’s probably already spilled everything he knows and we’ve got an army of Seekers heading our direction! What are you all waiting for, let’s go!” Maggie ended her tirade with a sharp noise of disdain. A few people in the group started to shift towards the tunnels leading to the sleeping quarters. The harsh words seemed to shake Wanda out of her stupor.

“No.” Wanda’s voice was thick with tears, but audible. “No. Ian’s strong. He wouldn’t do that. We—we talked about it once. He asked what would happen to him and I told him that the humans who know about the souls are more resistant, they don’t fade as easily. It’s why the souls no longer offer adult hosts to incoming souls. No. Ian would fight. He won’t just disappear. He won’t betray us.”

Maggie sneered. “I didn’t ask _your_ opinion. You don’t know what he’ll do. We can’t take the risk! Now come on everyone, move it!”

“Now now, no one’s going anywhere Magnolia. I agree with Wanda. Ian’s stubborn and like Wanda says, he knows what he’s in for. He’ll be fightin’, just as hard as you or I or any one of us would.” Jeb stepped forward as he spoke, drawing the attention of the crowd and halting those who had made motions to follow Maggie’s lead.

Maggie scowled. “You’re a fool, Jebediah!”

Jeb rolled his eyes. “Yes, you’ve said as much.”

“I don’t know Jeb; Maggie has a point!” Brandt edged closer to Jeb and Maggie as he spoke. “I like Ian, I do. And I’m worried about him of course. And I’m sure you’re right Wanda, he’d fight. But we have to face the facts; we don’t know how strong a fighter he’ll be up against the parasi-err, soul, in him.”

Wanda acknowledged Brandt’s correction with a ghost of a smile; the other humans had been trying their best to not use terms like parasite when Wanda was around. She had no delusions about the usage of the word outside of her presence though. Still, the effort was appreciated.

Jeb frowned. “All right, seems only fair we hold a tribunal and a vote on this. Course, you all know we’ll just do it however I want anyway. Let’s take a break though, let the others clean up and get a meal. It’s nearly dinner time anyway—we’ll meet after everyone’s eaten.”

Jeb’s declaration was met with relief from the cave members, though for varying reasons. The others dispersed, speaking in low tones and whispers to one another. Several group members cast pitying glances in Wanda’s direction. Wanda had retreated to one of the cave’s walls, leaning against it with Jamie next to her. Melanie had disappeared, presumably to find Jared. Doc was speaking quietly with Jeb, frowning in concern, before he nodded once and left in the direction of the makeshift hospital. Jeb looked after him in contemplation for a moment before he turned his attention to the duo standing at the cave walls. He strode over to the pair and settled a gentle hand on Wanda’s shoulder.

“It’s okay Wanda, we’ll figure it out honey. Why don’t you go with Jamie and get some food?”

Wanda gave Jeb a weak smile. “Thanks Jeb, but I’m not really hungry. I just…I think I need to be alone for a while. Really, I’ll be fine.”

Wanda pulled away from Jamie and retreated down one of the tunnels that led to the sleeping quarters. Jeb frowned after her and Jamie sighed.

“What are we going to do Uncle Jeb?”

“I don’t know, kid.” Jeb answered, gaze never leaving the tunnel Wanda had left through. “But like I told Wanda. Might as well go get cleaned up and eat something. We’ll sort it out later tonight.”

Jamie seemed to hesitate for a moment, but a quick look from Jeb had him nodding and walking away. Jeb watched him go and then heaved a sigh. The peace that had settled on the caves for so long had come to an end. He had better go and get his gun. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you enjoyed the second chapter of Loves and Losses! 
> 
> ~Silver Streams~


	3. Decisions and Despair

The tunnels were blessedly deserted as Wanderer made her way to hers and Ian’s room.

 _It’s just your room now_ , a voice in her head whispered insidiously. Wanda shook her head firmly, trying to shake off the thought. By the time she reached their door though, her mind was back to steeping in negativity.

It really might be just her room now. It was a relief that Jamie believed Ian was still alive, but Wanderer wondered how long that would be for. Adult hosts simply weren’t used anymore. Perhaps the Seekers had taken him to interrogate him. Perhaps they simply hadn’t wanted to commit the violence of murder in public surrounded by other souls. Perhaps they were planning on holding him, using him somehow to get to the wild humans…or maybe, just maybe, they were going to try what they did with Melanie. Maybe they’d implant a soul into Ian. Wanda swallowed hard at the thought. She loved her people, but they genuinely believed their actions were good, benefitting the native population of the planet they occupied. Many souls did not even see their take over as murder, and even those who did believed it was for a justifiable cause such as preserving the planet they’d come to. Wanderer was unique; it had been sheer luck that they had chosen her for Melanie. Other souls likely would not have changed their views, too heavily indoctrinated into the souls’ beliefs or too young to know better. Even with the heavy presence of Melanie’s emotions, another soul would likely not have given in the way Wanderer eventually had. They perhaps would have simply requested a new body, as souls were supposed to do when confronted with a recalcitrant host.

Indeed, it had been luck and fortune that paired Wanderer and Melanie together, that even allowed Wanderer to be open to change at all. Had she only lived one or two lives, had she not been to so many places and left unfulfilled, she likely would given Melanie to the Seekers. Wanderer was rare amongst the souls; she only knew of two others who sympathized with the humans. Three sympathetic souls out of the billions of them.

Ian didn’t stand a chance.

Wanda knew he would resist; he wouldn’t let himself be erased. He would not be him if he didn’t fight every step of the way. It would be that defiance that would ultimately be his death sentence. If the Seekers did indeed capture him with the intention of using him and not simply out of a desire to spare the innocent eyes of other souls, they would implant a soul within days. How long would the new soul wait? How long would the new soul put up with Ian’s inevitable resistance? Maybe the new soul would simply evaluate him as unusable, request a transfer, and leave Ian to his fate.

Wanderer’s heart clenched at the thought, her hope beginning to flicker as her despair grew. She likely wouldn’t ever see Ian again. Would never get to hold or be held by him, to sleep next to him, feel the steady rise and fall of his chest against her back and the heat from his body. Wanda took a few stumbling steps to the bed, sat down, and turned to her side, pulling her knees up to her chest with her back to the door. The bed was too cold. It seemed appropriate for the situation. Wanda closed her eyes; tears coursing again down her cheeks and fell into a fitful sleep.

* * *

A few hours later, the members of the cave, refreshed and fed, met for the tribunal. Jeb, Doc, and Jared stood at the front of the room. To the side, Melanie and Wanderer leaned against one of the cave walls, Melanie’s arm firmly around Wanda’s shoulders. Wanda’s head was bowed, her eyes focusing on the dirt and rock floor. Several feet away from them, Maggie and Lacey were standing with determined sneers on their faces. The others stood in a crowd of murmuring voices. Several people continuously glanced over at Wanda with pity in their eyes. Wanda paid them no mind.

“Alright! Alright, settle down!” Jeb raised his voice, calling for attention and silence from the group. Wanda looked up and she winced when she saw that Jeb had his gun again, slung over his back. She frowned at the implications; did Jeb really think he’d need his gun to settle this? Wanda hoped it was merely a formality. A quick glance over to Melanie revealed that she had also seen her uncle’s new acquisition, though it was clear from Melanie’s expression that she didn’t think it was a formality at all.

“Now,” Jeb continued as the group finally quieted. “We have a situation and a decision to make. Does everyone here know what happened? Did everyone hear Jared earlier today?”

A series of nods and affirmative murmurs rustled through the crowd.

“Good. The situation is unfortunate and we need to decide what to do. Are we staying here, or moving? Everyone will get their chance to say something if they need to and some will be required to say something.” Jeb eyed Wanda as he spoke that part and Wanda met his gaze and nodded. “Who would like to begin?”

The group fell silent again for a few moments, until Maggie stepped forward.

“I’ll start. This shouldn’t even be a question. There was no need for this farce of a tribunal Jebediah!” Maggie shot a seething glare at her brother before turning back to the crowd. “We are all in danger! It doesn’t matter who was taken, we need to relocate, _now_! They’ll find us!”

“It’s true.” Lacey stepped up next to Maggie, her face pinched unattractively. “They’re very dedicated, the Seekers. You would be best leaving now while you still can. Find somewhere other than these musty caves.” She sniffed delicately in disdain. Various murmurs of discontent and annoyance from the group followed. Even in the years since she had arrived, Lacey had not endeared herself to many in the group, nor had she lost her unsavory attitude.

Jared scoffed. “Sorry the caves still aren’t good enough for you, princess, but the air quality here is not part of this decision.” Lacey scowled and turned her back on Jared petulantly. Jared shook his head and addressed the crowd.

“Look, we don’t have to move right away. We should give Ian a chance. He might not be a concern. Melanie got a chance, didn’t she?”

“No offense to Melanie, Jared,” Aaron spoke up. “but she didn’t exactly know where we were. I mean sure, she had Jeb’s map, but nothing concrete. She didn’t know the exact entrance; she hadn’t even been here! Ian has lived here for years and does know the caves and all their entrances. I’m not saying Ian won’t be strong enough, but we’re risking more if we give him a chance. It’s different from Melanie.”

Another murmur ran through the group, some heads nodding in agreement.

“I know it’s different.” Melanie pulled away from Wanda as she spoke. “I don’t think anyone would argue that there’s more risk in this situation, given Ian’s intricate knowledge of the caves. We should still give him a chance though; it’s only been about a week. If he somehow managed to get away, he may be having trouble getting back. We should give him more time.”

“Don’t be foolish!” Maggie snapped. “You heard what Jared said, they dosed him! Ian didn’t escape and he’s not coming back here unless it’s with a group of Seekers. We are wasting time; Ian is as good as dead!”

“Now hold on, that’s uncalled for. You may show some compassion for those affected by this.” Doc’s quiet voice held a hint of steel and he looked at Wanda pointedly. Maggie spared him a quick condescending glance and then scoffed loudly.

“As if I care for what the parasite thinks!”

The crowd erupted into cacophony at Maggie’s words, several people jumping to Wanda’s defense. Even those who weren’t close to Wanda protested at the slur in her presence. Wanda watched the proceedings quietly; the insult rankled, but honestly she had more pressing matters on her mind to care much for Maggie’s typical pettiness. After a few minutes of discordance from the group, Jeb called for order.

“Alright, alright that’s enough! Magnolia!” Jeb leveled a hard stare at his sister. “You will be civil or you will not be permitted to speak. Am I clear?”

Maggie glared mutinously but gave a jerky nod.

Jeb held her gaze sternly for a moment before turning to look at Wanda.

“You’ve been awfully quiet. I’d like to hear from you.”

“She’s biased! She’s been sleeping with him and she’s a soul, you can’t count her opinion!” Lacey’s voice this time. Jeb fixed a shrewd glare on her.

“The same goes for you Lacey. If you can’t keep a civil tongue, you’ll be excluded—”

“It’s alright Jeb.” Wanda’s voice, soft as it was, cut through and pulled attention to her. “I understand her concern. I’m sure it’s a concern many of you have, though you won’t voice it out of politeness.”

A few people in the crowd glanced away guiltily. Wanda offered a wan smile.

“Okay, I won’t waste time asking if you want to wait for him then. Let’s go this route. Wanda, you know the souls, you know how they think. Tell us; in your opinion, will Ian have a chance to make it back here?” Jeb looked at Wanda steadily as he spoke, though she could see the compassion in his eyes.

“Ian is a fighter,” Wanda stated slowly. “It is true that he won’t just give in. He won’t disappear. But…he may not get the chance. The souls may not even try to use him. They probably didn’t want to kill him in front of the people in the store, but that doesn’t mean they won’t…discard him…away from innocent eyes. They might try to use him as a bargaining chip, but honestly I think that’s unlikely. If they do keep him alive, they’ll try what they did with Melanie.

“I was a rare case. We aren’t brought up to question the way things work. We’re told from our first life that what we’re doing is good. Questions hardly come up about the morality of taking over our hosts, and when they do we’re assured that the hosts either lack the capacity to care, or that the sacrifice is worth it. A host that fights back is seen as unusable and we’re supposed to request a transfer.”

Wanda hesitated, swallowing hard as she fought the moisture attempting to gather in her eyes. She took a deep breath before speaking again.

“If I’m being honest…Ian probably won’t be coming back. He’ll either be discarded immediately, or when the soul they implant decides that he’s a lost cause and requests a transfer. Either way, he won’t make it back here. The risk of discovery is virtually nonexistent. Ian won’t break. He will not betray you all.”

“We still can’t be sure of that!” Maggie glowered at Wanda as she spoke. “Maybe he’ll lead the Seekers back here for a chance to see you again. You’ll be the death of all of us!”

Melanie growled angrily, moving in Maggie’s direction with a fierce scowl on her face. Before things could escalate, a new voice called out.

“Wanda will not be the death of us! Aunt Maggie, you’re being unfair!” Jamie was standing in the doorway to the room. He had a frown on his face and moved quickly through the crowd to the front. He stopped in front of Jeb.

“Uncle Jeb, you have to give Ian a chance. Wanda said there isn’t much risk. Maybe it’ll be like Melanie! Maybe Ian will convince his soul to find us! And you’re forgetting someone! Jeb, your rule is whoever the person belongs to gets a say right?”

Jeb nodded.

“Well, Wanda’s had a say, but you’re forgetting someone! What about Kyle?”

Jeb looked surprised. Wanda looked up, gaze locking on Jamie, who was staring at his uncle unwaveringly. In the chaos, Wanda had to admit that she had forgotten Kyle. From the crowd’s response, it appeared many others had as well.

Kyle had been gone for a little over a month with Sunny. The two had become close over the last couple of years. Ian had told Wanda that Kyle had confessed that he was beginning to care for and love Sunny for who she was. Kyle had felt guilty though, feeling like he was betraying Jodi. Ian had suggested that Kyle try one more time to reach her. He advised that Kyle take Sunny on a trip to all of the locations that Kyle and Jodi had been to together and that Jodi herself had held special. Ian reasoned that if visiting those places didn’t bring Jodi back, she probably wouldn’t be returning. The trip had the added bonus of giving Kyle some one-on-one time with Sunny to better evaluate how he felt about her. Kyle had agreed, although only Ian and Wanda by proxy were privy to the full reasoning behind the trip and Kyle’s developing feelings for Sunny. Kyle had publicly given the reason of just trying to bring Jodi back; he didn’t want to give anyone, especially Sunny who so clearly adored Kyle, the wrong idea or false hope on the chance Jodi did return.

“Kyle is Ian’s brother! You gave me a say when it came to Melanie, Kyle should get a say about Ian! He doesn’t even know what’s happened; if we leave, when he and Sunny come back we’ll just be gone. That isn’t fair to them.”

Jeb was silent for a long moment, contemplating. He glanced over to Doc and Jared in query and received nods in return from both. Jeb looked over the assembled group, gauging reactions, before finally nodding to himself. He cleared his throat and addressed the crowd.

“Jamie has a point, and a damn good one at that. Kyle has every right to give his input on this. Wanda herself has told us there’s minimal risk. And it really wouldn’t be fair to Kyle or Sunny for us to just leave without them.”

“And what if Kyle doesn’t return?” Maggie demanded. Wanda felt a twitch of annoyance at how she left Sunny out of the demand.

“Kyle still has three weeks before he’s even due back. And we’ve always given a grace period. We’ll post guards at all the possible entrances to the cave in the meantime.”

“Oh great, now we’re losing people to guard duty! So everyone else will have to take on additional work!”

“We’ve done guard duty before and it’s all worked out fine. Besides, some of us might benefit from pulling a little more work.” Jeb carefully kept his gaze away from anyone in particular, but Lacey bristled nonetheless. Maggie glowered at her brother, her face twisted in fury and hatred.

“You are going to get everyone here killed. I hope you remember that when the Seekers come for us Jebediah!”

With that parting shot, Maggie whirled and stomped off, muttering furiously and vitriolically under her breath. Jeb sighed and shook his head as he watched his sister retreat, then turned to the address the crowd once more.

“The matter is settled. We will wait for Kyle and Sunny to return. This tribunal is over. We will work out a guard schedule in the morning, but for now who is willing to guard the main entrances and any smaller entrances tonight?”

A few people came forward in volunteer and guards were quickly designated. The rest of the crowd began to disperse after that, deciding to turn in for the night. Melanie gave Wanda an encouraging smile and a hug before Jared herded her out the door, pausing only to give a quick nod to Wanda. Wanda didn’t blame them, Melanie looked dead on her feet and she knew Jared was eager to get Melanie settled and the stresses of the day soothed. Jamie came to stand next to Wanda and gazed at her with determination in his eyes.

“You can’t give up on Ian, Wanda.” Jamie’s voice held no room for argument. “You can’t give up on him. He’ll make it back. He’ll fight the soul and he’ll convince them to come back.”

Wanda swallowed hard, glanced down briefly, and then stepped forward and pulled Jamie into a tight hug.

“Thank you,” She whispered.

Jamie held on for a moment before he pulled back and offered Wanda a weak smile.

“Come on, I’ll stay with you tonight. Let’s get some sleep.”

Wanda bobbed her head in agreement and followed Jamie to the door of the room. She paused briefly and looked back to Jeb, who had been quietly observing her and Jamie’s interaction. Jeb smiled at her and Wanda summoned a small but genuine smile back, mouthing a ‘thank you’ to him as well. Jeb’s smile broke into a grin and he gave a quick wave before shifting to talk to Doc. Wanda turned back and followed Jamie out to the hall and towards the sleeping chambers. She would be glad for the company tonight.

In her chest, the sputtering flame of hope flickered a little brighter. Wanderer knew the prognosis still wasn’t good, but now Ian had a chance. Maybe, just maybe, she’d see him again. Maybe he’d get lucky, find another rare soul that would be sympathetic.

Maybe….Ian would come back home.

Wanderer let that thought continue to fuel her hope and comfort her as she continued down the hall.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Howdy all! Sorry that this chapter took so long to get out. I realized that the old version skipped a pretty important part, so I had to pause in my rewriting of chapters and write this one from scratch. I hope you all enjoyed it! We'll be getting to Ian next chapter. Things have gotten a little busy for me so I'm not sure when it'll be out, but I'm hoping I'll have it out sooner than I had this one. 
> 
> Thanks for reading and let me know what you think!
> 
> ~Silver Streams~


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